Why Battery-Powered Toys
Are Not Eco-Friendly
How to Find Fun, Battery-Free
Toys for Your Kids
When you choose toys that allow your child
to think for herself, you’re usually doing the
planet a favor as well. The environmental
downside of battery-powered children’s toys is
worth considering:
So, what kinds of non-battery-powered toys
will your kids just love? Consider some of
these classic options for battery-free toys:
»» Energy use: If you use rechargeable
batteries (link) you’re plugging them into
a charger and using electricity to restore
them to their full energy capacity. But as
you can imagine, unless you have solar
panels, this contributes to air pollution and
climate change.
»» Battery waste: Americans go through
close to 150,000 tons of battery waste every
single year. Most of these batteries contain
heavy metals, many of which are toxic to
make and toxic when not disposed of properly. They can be recycled, which is preferable to sending them to the landfill, but this
requires yet more energy.
»» Microchip toxins: If it’s batterypowered, it’s likely fitted with at least one
microchip. The process of creating microchips is incredibly toxic, involving hazardous gases, chemicals, and massive amounts
of water. It also results in lots of hazardous
waste, all of which pollute the environment.
»» Toy waste: Once the batteries run out
(some are built right in) or the toy breaks
(and likely become irreparable), it turns
into a pile of plastic, metal, toxic waste.